


Corridors

by thekarateworm



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: And rape, F/F, I swear..., I'm sorry...., Sexual Assult, but its nothing crazy and ill always warn you before in the notes, ill haves trigger warnings for a few things, so make sure to read the notes, so.., the ending will be good tho!, theres some mentions of, uhm so this is really sad..
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:20:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24212797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekarateworm/pseuds/thekarateworm
Summary: She-ra has been missing in battle, and despite this being good for Catra and the Horde, she's secretly concerned about the shape her old friend is in.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 36
Kudos: 144





	1. Chapter 1

It was almost too good to be true. Everything was in order, the room was silent, and it felt warm under the scratchy blanket that was spread out on top of Catra. There were no voices outside her door, no sounds of alarms blaring or transmissions coming through on the screen that hung on the wall across the room. Maybe that was because it was late. Every rational person would be sleeping right now, getting ready for training and missions in the morning. Catra huffed and looked at the clock sitting on the table next to her bed. Nearly four A.M. Most nights, Catra herself would be fast asleep by now. She of all people knew how important a good night’s rest was when you’re in the Horde. 

However, her mind was racing millions of miles a minute. Earlier that day, she had been on a scouting mission. Being second in command, Catra was allowed to take some liberties when going on missions. Not that she went on many anymore, as she was usually the one assigning missions to the lower ranking cadets. This mission, however, was more of an excuse Catra made up to go check on something. To check on Adora. It’s not like Catra was opposed to attacking her in battle, or kidnapping her, or even killing her if it really came down to it, but she hadn’t seen the girl in battle for months now. The Horde had been gaining significant ground during her loss, so Catra shouldn’t be concerned. She should be excited, proud that they were making so much progress in crushing the rebellion. She wasn’t, though. Despite the sickening anger and disdain she had for Adora, she was secretly concerned about the absence. It wasn’t like the all powerful She-Ra to be missing in action, especially at such a crucial time in the war. 

When Catra arrived at the Castle that was past the woods, she glanced up at the room she knew the queen stayed in. If she wanted to, she could probably sneak right into her chambers and kill her. However, Catra was here for something else. She shifted her weight onto one foot and glanced around for any guards. She was sure she could sneak past the ones she noticed chatting at the bridge leading to the front gate. She wasn’t going in that way anyhow. Catra croutched to the ground and stalked over to the cliff that was below Adora’s room. She tilted her head up, looking at the window of the room. The shades were drawn, but the window remained open, allowing them to flow in the wind. Catra took a few steps back, then flung herself onto the side of the castle. She quickly climbed up and into the open window, not allowing the two guards she spotted before to see her. 

She perched on a table sitting under the room, allowing her eyes to adjust to the new lighting. The room was dark, and smelled musty. She almost didn’t notice Adora’s sword propped up in the corner of the room. She carefully stepped off the table and looked around the room. A bed sat on the opposite end of the room, and it almost looked like her own back home. Catra breathed in deeply through her nose, searching for any hint of a smell that reminded her of Adora. Catra could certainly smell the girl, but couldn’t see her anywhere in the room. She walked over to the bed, where the smell was slightly stronger. She sniffed again, and gazed down at the messy sheets. The bed was empty, but it seemed like Adora should have been right there. Catra reached a hand out to touch the sheets when she heard something move under the bed. She jumped back, startled at the sudden sound in the otherwise silent room. She crouched down and looked under the bed, and saw a pair of blue eyes staring back at her. 

“Adora?” she questioned. The girl under the bed didn’t move or make a sound. Catra smirked and moved closer, tempted to reach a hand under the bed and pull the girl out. 

“Why are you even under there? Did I scare you that bad coming in the window?” The girl still didn’t speak or move. Impatient as always, Catra decided she’d had enough of this game. She stood up, and launched her foot forward, directly into Adora’s face. She let out a grunt and hit her head on the bottom of the bed, but made no move to come out. 

“What has gotten into you, princess?” Catra sneered. How pathetic. She reached over to the bed and shoved it across the room. Adora quickly sat up, holding her bleeding nose. Catra crouched back down, her tail lashing behind her in amusement. 

“So nice of you to come out and see me.” Catra mewled, looking Adora over. She was… really skinny. Her eyes had dark circles under them, and her shirt had obviously not been washed in days. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail, but it didn’t hide the fact adora hadn’t showered in a while. She looked awful. 

“What the hell is wrong with you? You look half dead.” Catra almost sounded a little concerned. Almost. Adora let her head fall into her bloody hand, not caring if the blood got in her eyes or hair. She hid her face from Catra, not daring to look her in the eyes in the state she was in. Catra’s ears pricked forward at the sound of a small whimper. She scooted back from Adora, her eyebrows furrowing together. 

“What’s wrong with you? You look pathetic! Get up. Don’t you know who I am? I could kill the queen right now!” She glanced down at Adora, who seemed unmoved by her words. 

“I said get up!” Catra growled. She reached down and grabbed Adora’s arm, pulling her bloody hand away from her face. She yanked the girl to her feet, and released the arm. Adora seemed unstable standing up, and looked down at the floor. Catra’s stomach dropped for a moment, but the feeling was fleeting and replaced by rising anger. She reached forward and shook Adora’s shoulders, causing the girl to look up at her. Tears were forming in her eyes, making them glint in the sliver of light coming from the window. Catra let go, and pulled her arm up to her chest. She stared at Adora, unsure of what to do. She’d never seen her like this; sick, weak, broken down. Catra looked back at the bed she had pushed earlier. She grabbed Adora’s shoulder and pushed her back to sit on the bed. 

“What is this? Some kind of trick?” she asked, standing in front of the girl. She looked down on Adora, whose nose was still leaking blood. 

“No.” Adora finally said. Her voice was horse and quiet. She looked up at Catra, trying her best to look angry. 

“What are  _ you _ doing here? Is  _ this _ some kind of trick? You said you could kill the queen, so why are you bothering me?” Adora whispered. Catra’s eyes softened at Adora’s soft and shaky voice. She was torn between being disgusted at this display of weakness, and wanting to ask Adora what had landed her in such poor shape. She slowly sat on the floor in front of Adora. 

“I’m not here to kill the queen. She’d probably have some ace up her sleeve to stop me. I came here to see if … She-ra was still alive.” Catra couldn’t help making a snide remark, “seems like she’s dead to me.” Adora sniffed and looked down at Catra. Despite Catra seeming to be acting cold, Adora knew better. There was something like concern in her voice, and her eyes seemed soft. 

“I don’t know what you want me to say.” Adora whispered. Catra looked up at her from the floor. Her eyes were still wet with tears, and her hands were shaking. Catra wanted badly to ask what was going on, but a knock on the door stopped her before she even got a chance to contemplate allowing herself to care that much. Catra shot up from the floor to the window. She turned her head back at Adora, who watched her with almost pleading eyes. Catra was already out the window, sailing to the cliff below her, when Adora whispered

“Stay.”

  
  



	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy, and I hope season five made you cry as much as it made me cry.

Catra was running so fast away from the castle she could hardly breath. It was mostly on purpose. Her weezing distracted her from the image of Adora’s crying face that had been burned into her brain. She had to not care. She had to. The wind rushed through her hair, as she bounded across the forest floor. She tried shaking her head to avoid thinking about what awful thing could have put Adora in the state she was in. Catra knew better than anyone Adora would never just give up like this. She always fought back, she always got up again.

_ “I don’t get it.”  _ she panted to herself, finally slowing down. The sun was setting, and the woods were getting dark. Catra knew she had to get back to base, but she turned around. Then she turned back around, and began pacing in circles. She couldn’t understand what could have possibly happened to Adora. She should go back. 

_ “I don’t care.”  _ she said aloud. The only person around to convince was herself. She had to get back to base. She dug the claws of her feet into the ground in frustration. She knew Hordak would become suspicious if she left again to scout around the castle. Besides, she had the information she needed. She only went there to see if there was some kind of trick being played. To see if She-ra was biding her time, training, or harnessing some new power. She hadn’t gone there to check on Adora. Catra couldn't shake the feeling however, that she needed to go back to Adora. It was almost instinctual. Adora had left her anyway. It’s not like she cared when she ran off with some people she didn’t even know. She didn’t pace in the woods debating going back for Catra. Or had she? Catra was torn. The woods were growing darker by the minute. Catra let out a growl and took off in a sprint back to base. Sleep. She needed to sleep and clear her mind. 

Catra skidded to a stop at the entrance to her chambers, her chest heaving. She ran a hand through her hair and composed herself, then opened the door. Her room was empty, and the air was stale. She walked over to the window and stared out at the tall buildings and smoke surrounding her. The faint glow of red lights illuminated the area, so it was never quite dark. Catra wished her window opened, so she could get some fresh air into the room. Well, not that the air was terribly fresh here, with all the smoke. Catra began pacing in front of the window, her mind again wandering to Adora hiding under the bed. 

_ “Why did I kick her in the face?”  _ Catra snarled to herself. It’s not like there was any real reason. She was just angry. Why was Adora even under the bed anyway? She has the luxury of a huge room, and kind of comfy bed she could ever dream of, and she hides under her bed on the floor? What was she even hiding from? It’s not like the princess or the queen would ever let anyone near their precious She-ra. Catra’s pacing got more frantic and hurried. She let out a long sigh and pulled her arms up to her chest and crossed them. She should have just gone back to Adora’s room. She could have clung to the window frame outside until whoever had been knocking left. Catra hissed out loud. Why did she even care? It was stupid. They were literal enemies of war, and they’d beaten the shit out of each other multiple times. Catra walked swiftly over to her bed and threw herself onto the mattress. She yanked her blanket over her body, and stared up at the ceiling. She was tired, but there was no way she could sleep. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping not to see Adora’s face again. It was pointless, she couldn’t stop thinking about it. 

_ Why couldn’t she have just been… planning something? Plotting? Lying in wait?  _ Catra thought. It would have been so much easier to just report back to Hordak that She-ra was alive and well, just biding her time. She was used to Adora fighting. Used to Adora leading, rising above everything. She was used to Adora being there for her. Catra was always the one with tears in her eyes when they were younger. Adora was the one who would go punch people for her. The one who would stand up to Shadow Weaver. Catra cursed herself. She wished she had just left with Adora at Thaymore ages ago. When Adora reached out her hand. When she told Catra to come with her. Catra’s pride was caught in her throat that day. Adora had left her, Shadow weaver had belittled her again, and she wasn’t ready to let Adora win. Catra didn’t know what exactly Adora was really winning if she had left the Horde with her that day, but to Catra it meant something. 

Catra looked over at the clock. It was nearly four in the morning. 

  
  


Adora watched Catra as she jumped from the window, her plea for Catra to stay going unheard. The knock at the door returned. Adora made no move to get up and open it. Glimmer’s voice rang through into the room. 

“Adora? Is everything ok? I thought I heard voices in there.” Adora pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose and squeezed. She stayed on the floor, not responding. 

“Uhm, well, if you need anything just, well, you know where to find me.” Glimmer said, followed by footsteps heading down the hallway outside the door. Adora pushed herself off the floor, and looked at the dried blood coating her hand. She looked over at the closet in the corner of the room and walked over. She opened one of the doors and grabbed some article of clothing she would never wear. There was blood on the white sleeve of her shirt, and Adora was sure it was smeared on her face. She rubbed the cloth under her nose and up to her forehead. It didn’t do much to remove the already dried blood. At least her nose had stopped bleeding. She rubbed her hands with the cloth in a vain attempt to clean them. She glanced over at the window, and let the cloth fall to the floor. The wind was blowing the curtains back and forth in front of the window. Adora walked over, and pulled them aside to look down at the cliff. She hoped Catra would, for some reason, still be there. She let out a sign upon seeing the cliff vacant, and walked back to her bed. 

She sat down on the side of it, and placed her head in her hands. Why did Catra even come here? To make her feel worse about herself? To rub it in that she can’t fight anymore? Not that Catra could have really known that. She was probably here on Hordak’s orders. She was second in command now. Adora lifted her head and breathed in deeply. It wasn’t like there was anything she could do about any of this anyway. There wasn’t any way to change what had happened. It was just a breaking point. Everything had built up, and then exploded all at once. Adora didn’t even know if she was being irrational, or weak. It was all so confusing and messy. She wished she could talk to Glimmer. She wished she could explain. Despite her being kind, Adora knew what she did had hurt her. IT had hurt the rebellion. Shadow Weaver, despite her appetite for power, had taught Glimmer a lot about magic. She was stronger than she had ever been. Adora knew that she and shadow weaver had to have been at least a little close. There was no way they hadn’t formed some kind of bond after working together for so long. After mastering spells together, strategizing. Adora choked on the air in her throat. Her hands shook. She left the Horde to get away from the evil they were doing. To get away from the killing, the violence. She left to be better, but she wasn’t. She wasn’t any better than Catra, she was consumed by anger just like her. 

Shadow Weaver was dead, and she fell at Adora’s hands. Adora had looked her in the eyes, and killed her. She stood above her, when she was totally unarmed, totally helpless, and killed her. All Adora could see was Shadow Weavers arm coming up to try and cover her face. She could still hear the strangled cry. Smell the blood. She could feel Glimmer grabbing her arms and shoving her into the wall of the greenhouse. The screaming, the panic. Glimmer teleporting her to her room, and throwing her to the floor. The sword being yanked from her hands and tossed away from Adora. She could remember the tears in Glimmer’s eyes. Adora couldn’t speak in that moment, couldn’t explain, couldn’t react. She could only look up at Glimmer from the floor, and listen to her screaming. She could only curl up into a ball and cry. She didn’t know when Glimmer stopped yelling and fell to her knees next to Adora, and she hardly noticed being teleported to her own room. Glimmer had set her on the bed, and sat down next to her. She was asking questions, so many questions that Adora couldn’t even comprehend. She stayed silent, whisked away to her own world inside her head. Eventually Glimmer left after placing her hand gently on Adoras shoulder. 

  
  


Adora swore she could feel that hand on her right now. She looked next to her, but only found an empty space. Empty room. If only her head were that empty. If only she could leave. Go to the woods and never come back. But Glimmer always found her, and brought her back. She was never angry, just quiet. Just sure and strong when she grabbed Adora’s arm and teleported her back to her room. She couldn’t do anything besides give up. Even if she wanted to fight, she was afraid Glimmer wouldn’t let her. She was more afraid that she could kill again. That she would lose her temper. That she would see Shadow Weaver on the battlefield, in a young cadet or soldier. She wasn’t in any shape to fight anyway. She didn’t eat anything that wasn’t forced down her throat. Glimmer would sit in her room, and wouldn’t leave until Adora would at least eat enough to stay alive. Sometimes she had to sit there for hours. It wasn’t that Adora was stubborn, but her body wouldn’t let her eat. Her mind wouldn’t let her lift the food to her lips, or let her chew or swallow. Glimmer had tried to get Adora to change her clothes, to shower, too. When she brought her to the bath and tried to remove Adora’s jacket, she was met with Adora’s fist to her gut. Glimmer had been alarmed at first, and was ready to teleport away, but Adora had fallen to the ground in a ball again. Glimmer reached a hand down to put on Adora’s shoulder, but Adora only screamed when she made contact. Glimmer sat in the bathroom until Adora fell asleep, and teleported her back to her bed. 

  
  


Adora pulled at the bloody sleeve of her shirt. She took off her jacket, and then pulled the bloodied shirt off her torso. She stood up and walked back to the dresser she had left open. She pulled a red shirt out and slipped her arms into the sleeves and pulled it over her head. She walked to the door, and pressed her ear up against it. She couldn’t hear anyone, so she pushed the door open. Once in the hallway, she walked to the bathroom GLimmer had taken her to before. She opened the door, then shut it behind her. There was a large sink in the shape of a shell, with a mirror hanging on the wall above it. Adora set her hands on the sink and looked into the mirror. Her eyes were dull, and there were dark circles surrounding them. Blood was smeared from the bottom of her nose to her chin, and then over her left cheek to her forehead. Adora turned the sink on and wet her hands, letting the blood run off them and down the drain. She brought the hands to her face and washed the blood away. She could taste the metallic zing as it ran over her mouth and into the sink. She looked back into the mirror water dripping from her chin and onto the floor. Her mind went to Catra for a moment. How could she ever be around her again. How could she look her in the eyes. Adora felt a pang of fear from the thought of having to fight her again. What if she killed Catra, too? 

  
  


Adora sat on the floor, wrapping her hands around her legs and hiding her face in her knees. She shut her eyes, and allowed herself to fall asleep on the floor, trying to prepare for the nightmares that were bound to come. 

  
  



	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, back with another chapter. Hope you enjoy!

Catra’s eyes shot open to the sound of her alarm blaring next to her head. She glanced over at the clock and reached out to silence it. She had hardly gotten two hours of sleep, and she had a long day of work ahead of her. It was still dark outside, or as dark as it ever was with all the lights outside. Catra rolled out of bed and stretched her arms up above her head. She let out a long yawn and stood up to go to the door. Thoughts of the night before came suddenly rushing back. It had almost seemed like some sort of messed up dream. Catra walked out into the hallway and looked to her left. Soldiers were headed to training, leaving the cafeteria after eating breakfast. Catra knew she couldn’t eat anyway, so it didn’t bother her that she had missed breakfast. She walked down the hallway to join the soldiers. 

“Listen I’m not saying you look terrible or anything, but did you even sleep at all last night?” Scorpia questioned. She and Catra were sitting on the ground watching the trainees fight with each other. 

“That’s none of your business.” Catra quipped back, not taking her eyes off the soldiers. Scorpia cleared her throat and looked away from Catra. 

“Well, uh, if you ever need to talk or anything, I mean I know that’s not your style, but…” her voice trailed off into silence. CAtra abruptly stood up. 

“Hey!” she barked into the chaotic battlefield. She needed to get away from this conversation, and she noticed Kyle in the field. It was so easy to pick on him. She marched out to Kyle, who was on the ground. 

“What exactly do you think is going to happen when you actually go out into battle? Do you take any of this seriously?” She kicked dirt on the boy’s face. Kyle coughed and wiped his eyes. 

“Sorry, Catra.” he whispered, not looking up at her. Catra moved forward and placed her foot on his chest, pushing his entire body into the ground. 

“That’s commander Catra.” she hissed. She dug her claws into the fabric of Kyle’s shirt, and spit next to his head. 

“Now get up and train like you don’t want to die in battle. Whether it’s true or not.” Catra pulled her foot off of Kyle, ripping his shirt in the process. She glanced behind her, and saw Scorpia staring with a disapproving look. Catra hissed and walked over to the treeline. She leaned herself on the trunk of a tree and crossed her arms. Kyle was knocked to the ground again and Catra scowled. There was no way he would make it in a real battle. He was scrawny and weak willed. Not that it mattered a lot to Catra, in a certain perspective. They had a lot of good soldiers to take Kyle’s place when he died. Catra looked back to wear Scorpia had been, and noticed she was no longer there. 

“Why’d you do that to Kyle?” Catra nearly jumped out of her skin at the sudden voice from behind her.

“Christ, how do you sneak up on people like that? Didn’t you get the message earlier?” Catra growled. Scorpia brought a giant claw behind her head and smiled sheepishly. 

“I guess I didn’t. I assume you want to be left alone again?” she offered. Catra scowled at Scorpia’s stupid grin and easygoing demenor. 

“If you know that, then why are you still talking to me?” She whispered, an annoyed tone evident in her voice. 

“Ah, right sorry. I know you’re busy, being second in command and all,” Scorpia brought her claws up to her chest “but really, if you wanna talk I’m here.” she said. Catra looked away and her tail flicked with annoyance. Scorpia smiled and walked back to the other side of the battlefield. Catra curled her lip up into a snarl. Who did she think she was anyway? Catra was  _ second in command _ . She wasn’t going to cry to some subordinate about any of her issues. Catra’s mind wandered back to Brightmoon Castle. What had happened to Adora. Catra’s ears twitched, and her tail lashed around more wildly. She could feel Scorpia’s concerned eyes on her and knew she had to get out of there before she came back. 

Catra turned on her heel and walked into the woods. It wasn’t like anyone would stop her, or say anything about her leaving. She didn’t want to admit it, but she was heading back to the castle. Her feet propelled her along in the direction without much thought. She needed to get to the castle before she lost her mind. 

  
  
  


Adora sat on her bed, looking at the wall. She didn’t know if it was because of the encounter with Catra, but she felt anxious sitting alone in her room. She wasn’t scared of Catra, that wasn’t it. It’s not like she would ever really hurt her. Well besides a kick to the face. Adora stood up and began pacing. She’d been in this room for months. What was wrong with her? Catra was right about one thing. She needed to get up. She was pathetic. Adora ran a hand through her disheveled hair. It wasn’t like the entire world hated her. Glimmer didn’t even seem mad anymore.  _ Glimmer.  _ Adora turned without much thinking and walked to the door. She placed a hand on the smooth wooden surface and took a deep breath. She had to talk to Glimmer. The door was pushed open, and Adora took a tentative glance into the hallway. It was empty as usual. She wrapped her arms around her waist and walked down to Glimmer’s door. It was shut, but Adora doubted it was locked. She wanted to just push it open like she had used to, and call out Glimmer’s name. She wanted to just walk in and throw herself onto the floor that was almost always covered in dirty clothes. Adora raised her hand and rested her knuckles on the door. She tried to do her best to collect herself and be calm, then she pulled her hand back and hit the door three times. 

“Who’s there? Mom?” Glimmer’s voice came through the door and hit Adora like a speeding train. She tried to answer but her voice got caught in her throat. She heard footsteps heading in her direction from behind the door. Adora felt panic rising from her stomach. She almost turned to run back to her room, to hide under her bed. 

“Mom, you can just open the door yourself-” Glimmer’s voice hitched to a stop when she opened the door and saw Adora. Her mouth hung open and her eyes widened. 

“Oh.” She whispered. Adora looked down and tightened her grip around her waist. Glimmer reached a hand out, but Adora backed away from it. 

“Can I come in?” Adora asked, not taking her eyes off the floor. Glimmer let her arm fall back to her side. 

“Of course.” she whispered, stepping aside so Adora could walk past her. Glimmer shut the door behind them, and watched as Adora walked to the middle of the room and turned back to face her. Glimmer sat down on the floor, and patted the ground in front of her. Adora slowly walked over, and sat down with crossed legs in front of Glimmer. They made eye contact for a moment before Adora broke it and looked to the floor again. 

“I’m sorry, I…” Adora didn’t know what to say. Her mind was empty. All she could feel was guilt, weighing on her chest and shoulders. Glimmer wanted desperately to reach out to Adora, to ground her. She knew better by now, though. 

“I don’t know what I’m doing here. I don’t know why I left my room, but I felt like I needed to talk to you.” Adora whispered. She gripped her hands together in her lap until her knuckles turned white. 

“That’s… that’s ok. You don’t have to know what to say. You don’t even have to say anything. I’ve been really worried about you, you know?” Glimmer responded. Adora’s head hung even lower than it did before. 

_ Worried about me. _ Adora thought. Before she could stop herself, the words left her mouth.

“You shouldn’t be worried about me anymore.” Glimmer’s eyebrows furrowed together, and her chin tilted down. 

“I will always worry about you, Adora. It doesn’t matter what happens.” Her voice was soft, reassuring. It almost made Adora cry. Not that it was hard to make her cry lately. She unclasped her hands and set them on her knees. 

“I’m sorry.” She said, looking up at Glimmer’s eyes. “I’m sorry for a lot of things.” she finished, keeping her eyes locked on Glimmers to search for any hint of anger she might have had for Adora. 

“It’s over now. It happened months ago. It’s not a small thing, don’t get me wrong. But I know there was a reason you did it. I know you better than to believe you’re just a murderer.” the last word Glimmer said hung heavily in the air.  _ Murderer.  _ Adora felt the prick of tears in her eyes. 

“Murderer.” she echoed. Her eyes fell from GLimmers back to the floor as she felt tears fall down her face. Glimmer shook her head and reached a hand out, but quickly pulled it back. 

“I said you weren’t a murderer, Adora!” she said, hoping to pull Adora back to her. The girl in front of her was lost in her head already, the sounds and sights coming back to her. The screaming. The panic, the blood.  _ The Blood.  _ Glimmer reached a hand out and set it on Adora’s knee, hoping it wouldn’t make things worse. Adoras head shot up suddenly, and she threw her hang on top of glimmers to pull it off. When her hand landed on Glimmers, however, she didn’t push it away. Her eyes focused on their hands, and her breathing slowed down. It was fine. It really was, she just needed to calm down. 

“I’m sorry, it’s okay if you’re not ready to talk about it.” Glimmer said reassuringly as Adora calmed down. Adora blinked away her tears and sniffed. It was fine. She gripped Glimmer’s hand in her own and looked up at her. She swallowed, and opened her mouth to speak, but was once again at a loss for words. 

“It’s okay, you don’t have to say anything. You don’t need to apologize anymore.” Glimmer said, noticing her hesitancy to speak. Glimmer gave a soft smile, and Adora wanted to return it. Her mouth wouldn’t move anymore, though, and she let go of Glimmer’s hand. It was all just a bit too much. However, it was a big step. It was a short conversation, but it was the first one Adora had initiated in a long time. Glimmer wouldn’t talk about it, because she knew it would make Adora upset considering the situation, but she was proud that Adora had finally come out of isolation. Relieved, too, that she was finally talking to her. Even if it was like this. Even if it was uncomfortable and scary, it was a step in the right direction. 

“Can i sleep here tonight?” Adora asked. Glimmer nodded her head. 

“Of course you can sleep here, Adora. You can sleep here whenever you want, it won’t bother me.” Glimmer said. She stood up, and offered a hand to Adora. Adora reached up and pulled herself to her feet. Glimmer wanted desperately to pull her into a hug, but she knew it would be too much for Adora. If only she could read minds instead of teleport. Then she could at least have some idea of why Adora had done it. Gods know she couldn’t ask any time soon. She’d have to be patient. 

“Thank you.” Adora whispered, walking over to the bed Glimmer had under the window. She sat down and rolled over, facing the cliff below her. She hoped Catra wouldn’t come back and find her room empty. However, Adora was too tired to worry too much about it, and fell asleep almost as soon as she laid down. The relief she felt from finally connecting with the world, or at least Glimmer again, brought her a temporary peace. Maybe there wouldn’t be any dreams tonight. 

  
  



	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shorter chapter, enjoy anyway!

Catra found herself at the cliff below Adora’s window again. It was dark outside as she paced along the edge of the cliff. The sound of forest animals echoed in the distance, reminding Catra to stay on guard. She took glances to the window and glances back to the woods, trying to debate whether or not she should scale the wall. She had to know what was going on with Adora. It was driving her crazy not knowing what was going on. 

_ What if she told someone and there were guards waiting inside the window.  _ She thought. Catra didn’t want to fight anyone and cause a big commotion. Her curiosity was killing her. She came all this way after all… she might as well go up. Catra jumped over the cliff and dug her claws into the outer walls of the castle to climb to the open window. When she reached it, she pulled her body up and sat on the windowsill for a moment, waiting behind the curtain. She was really doing this? It was really stupid. She hadn’t even had a conversation with Adora in years. Sure, there was banter during fights, but it wasn’t anything that Catra should care about. It was any reason for her to still be attached, but she was. She needed to know that Adora was ok. Catra pushed the curtains aside and hopped into the room. She took a glance around, letting her eyes adjust. Empty, again. She trotted over to the bed and crouched down to look under it. No one was there. 

Catra stood up and looked around the room again, panic rising in her throat.  _ Empty?  _ Catra sniffed, hoping to pick up Adora’s scent. It was there, but it was at least a few hours old. Had Adora left? Was she in the castle somewhere? Had adora left because of her? Was she scared that Catra would come back? Catra pushed the thought aside and walked around the room. The blood from Adora’s nose was still on the floor from the night before. Catra noticed a bloody shirt on the floor next to Adora’s jacket. Maybe she really had left. Why else would she leave her  _ jacket _ ? She hadn’t stopped wearing it since she was a kid in the Horde. Catra walked to the door leading to the rest of the castle. Risking getting caught to find Adora really drew the line between concerned and just being stupid. That didn’t stop her, though. The doors slowly pushed open, and Catra glanced around the hallway. She didn’t notice any guards, so she followed Adoras scent to a neighboring door. Then it stopped. Adora had to be in there. She couldn’t hear anything on the other side of the door, but she knew better than just opening it and waltzing in. It was risky enough being in this hallway. Suddenly, an idea came to Catra. She would just go outside and climb to the window of this room. She went back to Adora’s room and out the window. She clawed her way to the other window, which unlike Adoras, was only slightly open with pulled back curtains. 

Catra peeked her head into the room, looking around for anyone. It looked empty, but the smell of Adora was so strong that Catra knew she had to be in there. She carefully opened the window to climb inside, and almost jumped off the side of the building when she saw a body directly below the window. It was Adora, fast asleep. Catra let out a breath of relief, and let go of the window. She looked down at the sleeping girl, who seemed to be in a state of content when compared to last night. Adora had her head resting on her hands, and was curled into a fetal position. Catra wanted to wake her up, to ask her what was going on. She wanted to know. After all, it was why she risked coming here in the first place. She couldn’t bring herself to wake Adora, however. She looked so calm and relaxed, and Catra had a feeling she hadn’t slept well in a while. Instead, Catra pulled the window fully open, careful not to make any noise to wake Adora, and sat on the window ledge. She looked down at Adora while her tail swung back and forth outside the window. She could sit here all night, just watching. 

And she almost did, until Adora began stirring in her sleep. She let out a shaky breath and gripped her hands tightly into fists. Catra knew it was a bad dream, because Adora used to do the same thing when Catra slept at the foot of her bed. She wanted desperately to grab Adora and shake her awake like she used to, but could only watch. She was too nervous that Adora would panic upon waking up, and alert someone else in the castle. Adora pulled her legs closer to her chest and let out a whine as she furrowed her eyebrows together. Her face was twitching, and her hands had started to shake. It was hard for Catra to watch. 

_ Was she dreaming about what happened to put her in the state she was in?  _ Catra wondered. It must have been that, because Adora got more and more distressed in her sleep. Out of instinct Catra reached a hand out to Adoras shoulder. The girl’s body suddenly stopped moving, and her hands slowly relaxed along with her legs that had been pulled taunt to her body. Adora’s eyes blinked open, and Catra yanked her hand away. Adora groggily looked up at Catra and mumbled something inaudible. 

“Hey, Adora.” Catra whispered, watching the girl shut her eyes again, like she had never woken up. She heard Adora mumble something else, followed by a soft and sweet

“Catra.” Adora adjusted her body and fell back to sleep. This time there was no shaking or panic. To be sure, Catra stayed perched on the window while Adora slept. She looked out at the two moons sitting in the dark starless sky. The sounds of the forest almost put Catra to sleep, but she would dig her claws into her knees every time she felt herself drifting off. Catra sat there for hours, watching Adora sleep and listening to the sounds coming from outside. When she noticed the sun rising, she took that as her que to leave. Catra took one last glance down at Adora, and jumped from the window and sailed to the cliff below. Catra caught her fall with a roll, and stood up to brush herself off. With one last glance to the castle, she took off in the direction of her base. 

  
  



	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh, oh here we go... (Thanks for all the support!)

Glimmer had waited with Adora for a few moments after she had fallen asleep, then snuck out the doors and into the hallway. There was supposed to be a meeting of the war council tonight, and her mother wanted her there. Adora was so deep in sleep Glimmer figured she’d be fine on her own for a few hours. The council room was pretty far from Glimmer’s, so she teleported herself outside the two large doors. She brushed herself off, and knocked loudly. The doors opened, and Glimmer saw the chairs at the table already full. Her mother motioned her to her father’s chair, as hers was already occupied. Once glimmer sat down, the meeting began.

“I’m sure you all know why I’ve called you here. The Horde has been gaining an unprecedented amount of ground these past few weeks. We’re running out of space to provide sanctuary for the displaced villagers.” The Queen spread out a map on the table, and pointed to an area not far from the castle.

“This is a powerful base that a lot of the attacking armies are staying at. If we wipe out this base, we would have some time to regain ground before reinforcements could arrive from the Fright Zone. This base is in control of the surrounding area, from the woods to right here,” the queen placed her finger on a spot on the map. 

“Once we regain some ground, we have newly trained recruits to send there to keep the Horde out the best we can.” The Queen looked up, to see the reactions of the team. 

“So, you’re basically sending out fresh meat to be killed by the Horde when they want this area back.” Mermista quipped, crossing her arms. 

“I… don’t mean to be rude, your highness, but what are the chances a few soldiers will be able to fend off the Horde’s army?” Perfuma added. The entire room matched their energy. Everyone was glancing around, unsure of the plan. 

“How will we even be able to fight all the soldiers at that base anyway? There’s hundreds of them. Not to mention the robots…” Mermista said. 

“I don’t know what other choice we have. We can’t sit here while The Horde gets closer and closer to Brightmoon.” The queen stated. Frosta stood up on her chair to appear taller. 

“What about She ra?” She said loudly. There was clear irritation in her tone. The group shifted uncomfortably.

“I know she flew off the handle before, but we could use that! If we just brought her to the base, she could easily take care of the soldiers and bots there! We could even leave her there, if she’s such a loose cannon. If any HOrde soldiers showed up, she’d just wipe them right out.” Frosta sat back down with a thud, and looked at the rest of the room, who were mostly glaring at her. 

“Adora is our friend, she’s not just a weapon we can use. We can’t treat her like some dangerous wild animal to let loose on The Horde.” Perfuma said angrily. 

“Yeah, for real Frosta. Have a little compassion.” Mermista added. The room looked at the Queen, who was staring down at the map. She seemed deep in thought, and maybe a little frustrated.

“Frosta may be right. Adora may be a person, and our friend, but she is also She-ra. I won’t lie, we’ve lost a lot of ground with her absence,” she looked over at Glimmer, “that’s why I called you here Glimmer.” The queen said. 

“Everyone wants to know what’s going on. We need to know when She-ra can fight again.” Glimmer looked at her mom with surprise as she spoke. They wanted her to tell them about She-ra? 

“I… I don’t think Adora’s ready to fight yet. It’s not just about her losing control, you know,” Glimmer let out an irritated huff “she needs to heal from this. It’s traumatizing to kill someone, especially someone who raised you. We don’t even know why Adora did it.” Glimmer stated. 

“It’s not like Shadow Weaver didn’t have it coming…” Frosta mumbled. The Queen shot a glare at her. Glimmer let out a sigh and looked around the room. She couldn’t lie to herself. Everyone looked hopeless without She-ra. 

“Right now, Adora isn’t ready, but she’s been making progress. She’s been starting to act like herself again, she just needs more time. I’m doing what I can to help her, but she needs to heal before she can even think about going back to fight.”Glimmer said. The room had gone very silent. 

“Well, I think it’s best that Adora is healed before she has to fight again. I think we all need to have more compassion and try to understand the situation-” Mermista cut her off.

“I’m all for caring about Adora, but if we don’t turn the tides of this war, there won’t be anyone left to care about her. I think we should attack the base. If anything it will buy us some time, and cut down on the amount of soldiers and bots The Horde has. It’s not like we haven’t taken over Horde bases before. This one is just a little bigger.” Mermista finished. Seahawk nodded his head in agreement, as well as Swiftwind. 

“We’re a highly trained group of mostly princesses with magical powers. They're just soldiers. I could stay at the base and operate from there, and I could have Seahawk come with me. Then we’d have a better chance of keeping the base for the rebellion.” Mermista stated. The Queen nodded, and looked at Glimmer. 

“What do you think, Glimmer?” She asked. Glimmer nodded her head in agreement. 

“Swiftwind and Huntara will stay here and guard the castle, along with the Queen. Everyone else will work together to take the Horde controlled base back for the rebellion.” She stated. After Mermista’s small speech and Glimmer’s reassurance, the group looked much more hopeful.

“Does everyone agree?” the queen asked. There were no objections besides an angry sigh from Frosta. 

“Good, you’ll set out in two days. You are dismissed, go and prepare yourselves for battle.” The Queen said. Everyone began standing up and walking to the door, but The Queen stopped Glimmer.

“I know this is a very difficult time for Adora, and I know i have no idea what happened between her and Shadow Weaver, but you need to try harder. This rebellion stands no chance without She-ra. I need you to reach her, to pull her out of this. Whatever it takes.” She said. Glimmer looked up at her mom, who was towering above her with no emotion on her face. 

“I know, mom. I’m trying.” Glimmer said. Angela smiled at her and placed a hand on her shoulder. 

“Just do whatever you can. You spoke very well tonight, but you need to hold Adora up to what you said.” The Queen walked past Glimmer and left the room. Glimmer was alone, staring at the picture of her father on the wall her mom had been standing in front of. 

When Glimmer walked into the hallway, she noticed Mermista, Seahawk and Perfuma talking in a small circle. She walked over and they stopped talking to look at her.

“Princess Glimmer.” Perfuma said politely, “We were just talking about Swiftwind. I know you’re trying to help Adora, and she needs time, but do you think Swiftwind could possibly… I don’t know, help us understand what’s going on with Adora?” she asked. Glimmer hadn’t thought about trying something like that. 

“Well, usually Adora can tell when Swiftwind is connected to her, right? I don’t want her to feel like we’re prying. What if it just makes her lose the trust she’s built up these past months?” Glimmer said. Perfuma’s eyebrows furrowed. 

“I guess you’re right. Progress is a difficult struggle and we don’t want to ruin that for her.” She said. Glimmer bit her lip, and thought about it for a moment. 

“I guess it couldn’t hurt to at least ask Swiftwind…” she offered. Perfuma’s eyes lit up. Mermista and Seahawk looked interested too. 

“Let’s go then, he’s probably halfway across the castle by now, knowing him.” Mermista said. Glimmer grabbed them and teleported to Swiftwind’s outdoor ‘room’.

She could see Swiftwind dancing towards them, singing some made up song out loud. 

“Swiftwind!” Glimmer called. “We need to talk to you.” The horse snapped his head over to Glimmer and the group and gracefully trotted over. 

“Did someone say Swiftwind?” He asked boisterously. Mermista groaned out loud and brought the palm of her hand to her forehead. 

“Swiftwind, we were talking after the meeting, and we’re wondering if there was any way you could help us find out what’s going on with Adora. Is there anything you can tell us about her at all?” Glimmer asked. Swiftwind nodded his head vigorously. 

“I know she’s been very distressed lately. Oddly enough, she seems very calm right now. The most relaxed she’s been in months. I know that her distress comes from guilt over killing Shadow Weaver, but she was already distressed before she even killed her.” Swiftwind stated. The group looked at Swiftwind intently. 

“For some reason, the distress from before was also about Shadow Weaver. The feeling from before she killed her wasn’t guilt though. It was more like, fear?” He said, slightly unsure. 

“Fear? Of what?” Glimmer asked. The Horse furrowed his brows to try and focus and remember Adora’s emotions and thoughts. 

“Fear of Shadow Weaver. I don’t really know why… but I do know the fear went away when Adora killed her. I think… I think Shadow Weaver might have done something to Adora.” He said, looking down. 

“Did something to her? Like what? Did she hurt her? Threaten her with something?” Glimmer asked, steadily becoming more nervous. 

“I don’t know… I think I know someone who does, though. Can I take you guys to the woods?” Swiftwind asked. 

“Uh, me and Seahawk need to get home.” They said. It was already very dark outside. 

“I’ll go. I’ll let you guys know if I find anything out, ok?” Glimmer said, hopping onto Swiftwind’s back. They nodded and started to walk back to the castle. 

“Where are we going, Swiftwind?” Glimmer asked. The horse bowed his head and took off into the sky.

“To talk to Lighthope. She can hear Adora’s thoughts much better than I can. Listen, though, this is kind of an invasion of privacy. I know you’re worried about Adora, but are you sure about this?” He asked. 

“I need to know how to help her. I can’t do that if i don’t even know what’s going on, and knowing Adora it could be another few months or more before she tells me. By then it might be too late to help her at all.” Glimmer said, hiding her face in Swiftwind’s neck to guard her from the cold night air. 

“Alright. Let’s go see Lighthope.”

  
  



	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, trigger warning for this one. There's some mention of sexual assault. Be careful reading!

The next morning, Adora was awoken by Glimmer slamming the door to her bedroom. She walked over to where Adora was sleeping and reached a hand down to get her attention.

“Adora, seriously, get up.” She said. Adora rolled over and looked up at Glimmer with still tired eyes. She sat up on the edge of her bed and yawned. 

“What’s wrong?” Adora asked. She was looking around the room nervously. There was tension in the air and Glimmer seemed upset. 

“I know you don’t want to tell me what’s going on, but I don’t know how to help you if you don’t tell me. I’m proud you finally left your room to talk to me, but there’s a lot more we need to do. You need to…” Glimmer trailed off, looking at Adora’s now wide eyes and hands that were gripping the edge of the bed. 

“Listen, you have to tell me what happened.” Glimmer said, sitting next to Adora. Adora moved her hands to her lap and stared down at them. 

“Tell you about what?” Adora asked, her voice shaking. Glimmer reached a hand over to Adora’s shoulder, causing her to flinch slightly. Glimmer sighed. 

“Listen, Adora, Swiftwind took me to see Lighthope last night. He told me she would know how to help you better than he did.” She said gently. Adora froze, her breath hitched in her lungs. The world felt incredibly hot to Adora. She felt her hands shaking in her lap. 

“What are you talking about?” Adora asked, trying to keep herself composed. Trying not to get mad, or scared. 

“Lighthope told me… well she told me something happened to you, but she wouldn’t really tell me what. I feel like, I know, but I really wish you would tell me. I want to help. I want to get you help that knows what they’re doing.” Glimmer said.

Adora was still shaking, and looked up at the ceiling. There were lights hanging on chains, and a small crack in the corner of the room. It was so small, but Adora focused her eyes on it like it was about to cause the building to collapse on them. 

“If you know already, why should I say anything. If you went behind my back then at least the hard part is taken care of for me. It’s not like anyone was surprised. You could all see it. She was obsessed with me. You knew I didn’t want her here. You should have at least kept her in a cell, or a locked room. You just gave her free reign of the entire castle. She could have done anything. She knows dark magic, and she’s lived in the Horde serving Hordak for her entire life. Why would you expect her to change.” Adora spat, feeling her eyes prick with tears. Glimmer tightened her grip on Adora’s shoulder, but she just pulled away. 

“And would you stop touching me?” She yelled, hugging herself tightly and looking down. 

“Adora, I’m sorry. You never said anything, I didn’t know what she was like. How was I supposed to know she’d ever… Why didn’t you tell me? How long was it before you… you know-” Adora cut her off.

“What, killed her? It had been happening for months. I hardly even knew about the stuff from that long ago, because she can wipe people’s memories! Something you knew, but you still let her go wherever she wanted. I don’t even know how I remembered any of it. I just woke up one morning, and I had a bruise on my shoulder, and it just hit me.” Adora said, tears rolling down her face. 

“Why didn’t you tell me? I could have handled it! I could have had her executed, and you wouldn’t have had to deal with any of this!” Glimmer said, clearly getting distressed. Adora shook her head, and almost laughed.

“You’re so selfish.” She whispered, almost under her breath. Glimmer’s eyes widened. 

“ _ I’m  _ selfish? You’re the one who’s been hiding in your room for months! You didn’t tell anyone what was going on. You just killed someone and expected  _ me  _ to cover for you! It doesn’t matter if it was a prisoner. I had to fight my mom tooth and nail to keep you here. To allow you to stay in your room. I had to lie to her about why I needed to recharge so much because I was getting you back when you tried to run away!” Glimmer was yelling now, sitting straight up and leaning towards Adora. 

“Well if I’m so selfish why didn’t you just let me leave.” Adora asked. Glimmer slouched back down on the bed and looked at her feet dangling above the floor.

“Because, I care about you. I’m worried about you. What if the Horde captured you?” Glimmer said. Adora looked at Glimmer. 

“It’s not like I can fight for you anymore anyway. I;m sure they all think I’ve flown off the handle.” Adora mumbled. Glimmer shook her head and stood up. 

“No, they want you to fight. They’re concerned about you, they don’t want you to do anything you’re not comfortable with. They know that you’re dealing with a lot, and that was just because of the … you know.” 

“The murder?” Adora said. Glimmer grimaced at the word. It really shouldn’t be considered a murder, even if it was. Adora shook her head. 

“If you want to help me, then let me leave. I need to think. I need to be on my own, where no one is force feeding me. Where no one catches me and brings me back to where they want me. I need to sort this out on my own. I’m not like you, I’ve always figured things out on my own, and look where it got me. I’m fighting for the rebellion. I became She-ra!” Adora stated, standing up next to Glimmer. The room was silent, Adora and Glimmer watching each other. 

“Alright. If that’s really what you need.” Glimmer said, “If you think it will help, then leave. You’re welcome back whenever you’re ready. Our gates are open to you for as long as Brightmoon stands.” Glimmer assured. Adora’s eyes glinted with something, but then went back just being wet from the tears. She reached out a hand to Glimmer’s. 

“Thank you.” Adora said softly. Glimmer nodded, and pulled her hand away from Adora’s. 

“Go then. Before anyone wakes up to see you leave. Get out of here.” Glimmer muttered. Adora walked to the door and into the halfway to her room. She turned the lights on for the first time in months, and looked over her room for anything she might need. Her sword rested in the corner of the room. She walked over to it, and ran her finger over the dusty hilt. She hadn’t used it since she had killed Shadow Weaver, and it was going to stay that way. Adora walked to her closet and pulled out a dark red jacket and a bag. She looked around for a bottle or a canteen, but couldn’t find anything. Maybe in the kitchen. 

Adora wandered out of her bedroom and towards the dining hall. Inside were three large tables surrounded by chairs. It was empty, and the kitchen lights were off. She walked to a door on the far side of the room and pulled it open. The kitchen was dark, but it looked empty. Adora flicked a lightswitch by the door and looked around for something to hold water. There was a metal container sitting by the sink, and it seemed to be perfect for holding liquids. Adora filled it with water and set it inside her bag. She grabbed some bread on her way out, and shut the lights off and closed the door. 

When she walked out of the hall, she saw Glimmer holding seom bottles and a piece of paper. 

“Here, medicine, and a map.” She handed the pile to Adora, who put it in her bag. Glimmer smiled at her and started to turn around, but stopped.

“Please, hurry back.” She whispered, then turned and teleported elsewhere. Adora nodded to herself, and headed to her bedroom to leave through the window. She looked around one last time, and glanced at the sword. It would be a nice safety net if she got into trouble, but this journey was for her. Not for She-ra. Adora grabbed the rope next to her window, tied it to the frame, and started to climb down. When she reached the bottom, she pushed off with her feet and let go of the rope. She sailed over the ravine and to the cliff below the castle. She gave Brightmoon one last look, then turned and walked into the woods. 

  
  



	7. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short one, oops... Thanks for reading, voting, and commenting !

Catra made it back to base before anyone came looking for her. Her eyes felt heavy, and she wasn’t sure if she would make it through the day staying awake. Catra went to the cafeteria where mostly everyone was eating their rations at breakfast. Catra didn’t usually come in here, much less sit with anyone, but she found herself heading over to where Scorpia was sitting. The large Force Captain was struggling with her awkward claws and the tiny ration bar she was given. Catra sat down next to her and Scorpia dropped the bar. 

“Catra! I knew you’d finally join me for breakfast someday.” Scorpia proclaimed excitedly. Catra grunted and grabbed the ration bar scorpia was struggling with and unwrapped it. She handed it back to Scorpia who was beaming back at her. As Scorpia began eating, Catra glaced around the room. Groups of soldiers were congregated at different tables, laughing and talking as if the world around them wasn’t there. It was like they didn’t know there was a war going on. Catra’s tail twitches in annoyance, but she let the feeling pass as she looked back at Scorpia. 

“So, I noticed you didn’t come back last night.” Scorpia said, attempting to open another ration bar. Catra snached it out of her claws and hissed.

“Keep your voice down” she whispered, peeling the packaging off the food. Catra handed it back to Scorpia. 

“I had business, that’s all. You know it wouldn’t be a good thing if Hordak found out about it, so just drop it.” Catra said. Scorpia shrugged her shoulders and went back to eating. Catra rested her chin on her hand and looked back out at the other cafeteria tables. 

“How are they so happy? Don’t they know there’s a war going on?” Catra asked. She was more talking to herself than Scorpia, and didn’t expect an answer. 

“Well, it’s all about morale. You can’t send a bunch of depressed soldiers who think they’re going to die to fight. They wouldn’t try very hard if they’re going to die anyway, right? I think it’s an ignorant bliss situation.” Scorpia said between mouthfuls of food. Catra’s ears pinned back on her head. 

“What, you mean they don’t know there’s a war?” Catra asked, still watching the tables full of people. 

“No, I mean they don’t really know what the war is like. You’ve been on the front lines plenty of times. Most of these kids haven’t even finished training. They don’t know what it’s like out there, and that’s on purpose. If we sent a bunch of kids out to fight, not only would they not do well, but they’d come back and not want to fight anymore. Right now, they’re only training with their friends. It’s supposed to be fun.” Scorpia said. Catra sighed and watched as people slowly began to file out of the lunch room. Maybe that made sense to Scorpia, but something seemed wrong about hiding the ugly parts of the truth from the cadets. Catra and Scorpia sat at their table until the room was empty. 

“Ready yo get going?” Scorpia asked. Catra stood up and left the room before Scorpia had even thrown out her wrappers. She was trotting across the building to the training grounds when she was stopped by a guard. 

“You’re Catra right?” He asked nervously. Catra’s tail swished back in forth in annoyance.

“ _ Commander  _ Catra.” She hissed. The guard shrunk back on himself, and only got more nervous.

“H-hordak wants to, to see you, commander.” He said with a shaky voice. Catra grunted and walked past him, changing course to Hordak’s sanctum.

_ Did he find out I left yesterday?  _ Catra wondered. She picked up her pace, nervous with anticipation. She really needed to get off Hordak’s bad side. She began moving even faster, almost running, towards the sanctum. She slowed down and stopped outside the door, breathing heavily. She calmed herself down, straightened out her clothes, took a deep breath, then raised her hand to knock on the door. Before she could, however, the door slid open. 

“Come in, Catra.” Hordak said. He turned to face her from the table he was working on. Catra glanced around her, and looked back at Hordak. He looked satisfied with something. That was rare. 

“I’ve received some news from soldiers at a Horde base near the castle that a certain  _ witch _ is dead.” He stated. He was walking around Catra with his hands behind his back, no doubt trying to intimidate her. Catra stood tall, showing no signs of fear in her commander’s presence. 

“I’m sorry, a witch?” She asked. Hordak nodded and smirked at Catra, whose brain was grinding gears to figure out what he was talking about.

“You’re rather familiar with her, in fact she practically raised you.” Hordak said.  _ Was he talking about Adora?  _ Catra wondered. Hordak would call her a witch, and she had always taken care of Catra in the Fright Zone. 

“I’m sorry, commander, I don’t think I understand.” Catra said. After all, she had just seen Adora a few hours ago. 

“Shadow Weaver was killed. Killed by your old friend Adora, no less. It’s as I say, Catra, once you’re in the Horde, the Horde is in you. There’s no escaping that reality, princess of not. It sounds like they’ve locked her away for such a gruesome crime.” Catra was trying not to show any emotion over the amount of information being thrown at her. 

“Now, here’s the thing. Without her sword, She-ra is useless. Locked up in a cell, feeling sorry for herself I’m sure. We’ve gained an unprecedented amount of ground these past few months. Everything is going very well. However, Brightmoon still has She-ra, behind bars or not. They could use her at any time, and the tides of this war would change in an instant. I also hear, there’s going to be an attack on our larger base near the castle, meaning the castle will be left nearly defenceless.” Hordak was smirking at Catra, who had begun to sweat nervously and lash her tail. Catra was afraid she knew where Hordak was going with this. 

“Now, considering they have a princess who can teleport, it would be rather pointless to kidnap Adora and bring her here, right?” Hordak asked. Catra nodded her head, her mouth going dry.

“So, here’s your next mission. Kill Adora.” He commanded. Catra was struggling to keep herself calm and contained. 

“Understood, commander.” Catra said, turning to quickly leave the room. Hordak watched her go, and turned back to his current project.

Catra ran as far as she could from the sanctum before her knees gave out. She fell onto her hands and let her head hang down by the floor. She was breathing heavily, and digging her claws into the cement ground. Her tail was lashing wildly, and her fur was standing on edge.  _ How would she kill Adora? How was Shadow Weaver dead, and did Adora really kill her? Was Adora actually a prisoner, and that was why she hadn’t been fighting?  _ Catra’s mind was racing as she felt her body curl into a tight ball. Her vision was going dark with panic, and before she blacked out, she saw Scorpia come around the corner. 

“Catra?” she shouted, as everything went black.

  
  



End file.
